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In June, GOPC had the opportunity to participate in “Legacy Cities and Left-Behind Places: Comparative Analysis, Policy, and Practice,” an international symposium sponsored by @landpolicy and @BartlettArchUCL #GOPCThread
This first conversation in a series of several was a great opportunity for GOPC to learn more about #legacycities across the globe, their characteristics, how they are used for political purposes, and how what they are called varies from country to country #GOPCThread
. @DrGanning noted that in the U.S. “legacy cities” is a slippery term. She & @jrosietighe have parsed through different usages of the term in an extensive review; check out their recent paper! #GOPCThread https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0739456X18772074
In the UK, the predominant term is “Left Behind Places,” which, like “legacy cities,” tends to refers to areas that were formerly industrialized and have been experiencing underinvestment for several decades. #GOPCThread https://localtrust.org.uk/insights/research/left-behind-understanding-communities-on-the-edge/
. @john_tomaney, #AndyPike ( @CURDSNewcastle) & @LucyNatarajan have written about policy solutions and paths forward for left behind places, including a white paper for the UK2070 Commission #GOPCThread http://uk2070.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/93-TOMANEY-et-al-Land-use-planning-inequality-and-the-problem-of-%E2%80%98left-behind-places%E2%80%99_J-Tomaney.pdf
Policymakers & researchers like #DannyMacKinnon w/ @UniofNewcastle are thinking about “levelling up”, e.g. what strategies and policies are needed to bring left behind places into parity with strong market cities/metropolises #GOPThread https://blog.geographydirections.com/2021/06/02/left-behind-places-regional-inequalities-and-levelling-up/
In France 
, legacy cities/secondary cities/left behind places are often glossed as being part of la France périphérique, as compared to the thriving cities in la France métropolitaine (e.g. Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux) #GOPCThread https://lvsl.fr/trois-france-entre-peripheries-metropoles/
, legacy cities/secondary cities/left behind places are often glossed as being part of la France périphérique, as compared to the thriving cities in la France métropolitaine (e.g. Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux) #GOPCThread https://lvsl.fr/trois-france-entre-peripheries-metropoles/
“la France périphérique” tends to have strong political connotations, signaling support for right-wing leaders. “Legacy Cities” in the US may not have that association, but the “flyover country” in which they are supposedly located often does #GOPCThread https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2017/05/we-know-who-votes-for-brexit-trump-and-le-pen-what-do-we-call-them.html
#ClaireColumb w/ @BartlettUCL has warned against political reductionism of “la France périphérique”, just as legacy city researchers and observers of the US Midwest caution that these regions are politically diverse #GOPCThread https://www.ijurr.org/spotlight-on/urban-revolts/the-revolt-of-the-periphery-against-the-metropolis/
In Germany 
, researchers like #TimLeibert w/ Institut für Länderkunde are studying “peripheralization” & how depopulation, feelings of disconnect, & dependence on transfer payments are shaping experiences. #GOPCThread https://twitter.com/DanielaSCarl/status/1400412236473057281?s=20
, researchers like #TimLeibert w/ Institut für Länderkunde are studying “peripheralization” & how depopulation, feelings of disconnect, & dependence on transfer payments are shaping experiences. #GOPCThread https://twitter.com/DanielaSCarl/status/1400412236473057281?s=20
Like #legacycity researchers in the US, #TimLeibert & colleagues argue that policies sensitive to local realities of population loss, etc. are needed to reverse trends of further marginalization in peripheralized communities #GOPCThread https://comparativepopulationstudies.de/index.php/CPoS/article/view/254
Population loss, excess land (which often requires remediation), feelings of social & political estrangement from the broader country, are common themes across the globe, but it’s clear that national contexts are important for truly understanding local dynamics #GOPCThread
There is much practitioners, policymakers & researchers can learn from each other in terms of policy solutions, local and regional strategies, and federal policies. Let’s keep the conversation going! #GOPCThread
